Is Tom Holland your favorite Spider-Man? Or is he just a glory hunter who’s living off the goodwill Tobey Maguire earned? Those are really important questions that Holland, despite his aversion to keeping secrets, will never answer. But he has been happy to let everyone know why he supports Steph Curry’s Golden State Warriors.
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Holland might have played an American on many occasions, including the 16-year-old New Yorker, Peter Parker, in the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Spider-Man trilogy, but the young actor was born in England and spent his formative years across the Atlantic.
As a Brit, Holland had been largely unaware of the nuances and the craziness that follows basketball in the US. All that changed in 2017, though, when he found himself in New York City to promote his film, Spider-Man: Homecoming.
During a June 2017 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live alongside Oscar winner Robert Downey Jr., Holland found himself being asked about his interest in hooping. “Do you know about this basketball? Or is this just like some random sport that Brits are not familiar with, and you pretend to go along with it? Are you a basketball fan?” Kimmel inquired.
Holland emphatically admitted that he was terrible at the sport but was excited to share that he had just attended his first basketball game — and that it featured the team that would become that year’s champions.
“I was lucky enough that the first ever basketball game I went to was the Golden State Warriors … In New York … So I was lucky enough now to say that I can support the Golden State Warriors without really being a glory hunter,” he said with a laugh.
Kimmel then pressed him about going to a game in New York City and rooting against the home team. “And instead of … the Knicks, I supported the winners, yeah,“ Holland asserted.
“So you’re a front-runner, then?” Kimmel asked in jest. And without an ounce of regret in his voice, Spidey claimed that he wasn’t even feeling bad about it. “100%. I’m not even ashamed. I’m not even ashamed.“
Kimmel then shifted his attention to Robert Downey Jr. and pulled up an old photo of the 5-foot-9 actor standing with the 7-foot-2 LA Lakers legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Kimmel teased about the height difference, and everyone chuckled at Downey’s response.
“You know, the funny thing about that, I think he was actually kneeling in that picture … It’s ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Downey'” RDJ joked.
Downey has long been a fan of the Lakers and has been seen watching their games with his family on multiple occasions over the years. As it happens, in the years since this interview aired, Holland also seems to have found a passion for the sport. A couple of years ago, he was seen at a Warriors game with his now-fiance, the Emmy-nominated actress Zendaya.
